RACVB board discusses events, filming

Saturday

Jun 8, 2013 at 3:06 PMJun 8, 2013 at 3:07 PM

Establishing a signature event is a good way to bring tourism and attention to Ridgecrest. One way to do that is by utilizing one of the area’s best known landmarks, according to the director of the Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.

By Jack BarnwellSTAFF WRITERjbarnwell@ridgecrestca.com

Establishing a signature event is a good way to bring tourism and attention to Ridgecrest. One way to do that is by utilizing one of the area’s best known landmarks, according to the director of the Ridgecrest Area Convention and Visitors Bureau.Doug Lueck, the RACVB director, reported to the bureau's board of directors Wednesday that he and others were in discussion to host an event around petroglyphs, beginning November 2014.Lueck said that he and Maturango Museum Director Harris Brokke are pushing to utilize the area's petroglyphs to draw visitors to the area.“I think this will fit in with what Harris and I are working on,” Lueck said. “While many people want to beautify the area, we want to do it in the form of petroglyphs, shamans and that kind of stuff.”Brokke, the museum director, added the event would bring an added aspect to Ridgecrest.“We want Ridgecrest to be known for more than just Balsam Street,” Brokke said. “Petroglyphs are more of a brand for the city in terms of getting people from out of town to come in (to Ridgecrest).”Maturango Museum conducts routine tours of the petroglyphs every spring and fall. The petroglyphs are located in the Coso Mountains on Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake. Tours are currently conducted by Navy-approved guides.Brokke said the area held the largest concentration of petroglyphs in the western hemisphere.RACVB boardmember Popat Ghanshyam asked why the event would take place in November instead of September when weather was better.“Weather in late October and early November is very nice,” Brokke said. Lueck said he, Brokke and Dan Clark, the city's mayor, had already met once about the possible event. “This is still very young and basically still in talks,” Lueck said. “But I think it is exciting that we are going to try and turn it into an annual signature event.”RACVB-based filming down, but area filming continuesEmma Fulenwider, RACVB's assistant film commissioner and office manager, reported an overall lack of filming permits filed with the organization in May.“However, this month we've already had two productions and we have three more next week,” Fulenwider reported to the board.Additionally, she reported two filming productions had occurred at Inyokern Airport in May.“There was filming that occurred in the area, just none that went through our office,” Fulenwider said.Lueck, the RACVB director, noted that not all film permits were handled by his office. “Some filming might occur on private land or state land, or at Inyokern or Trona Airport,” Lueck said. “We fight help facilitate crews with filming, but we don't pull the paperwork for those productions.”RACVB handles film permits for the Ridgecrest area and Bureau of Land Management public land. Information and projected income to the area's hotels and restaurants for areas like Inyokern or Trona airports, Lueck said, are collected by the Kern County Board of Trade.“Don't be alarmed when the RACVB says it didn't have any filming,” Lueck cautioned. “We might have helped facilitate it, but we don't add that number into our agency.”On Friday, Fulenwider explained that the RACVB's goal wasn't always about making money on permits.“Our goal is to help film crews and help them stay in the area,” Fulenwider said. “So, while Inyokern might make all the money on a filming permit, we want the filming crews to stay in Ridgecrest hotels.”